Powering Manitoba with MMTP
Completed last year, the Manitoba–Minnesota Transmission Project is bringing electrical security and more access to U.S. markets By Paul Adair
Tower assembly using sky crane (guyed).
28 PIC Magazine • December 2020
Going into service on June 1, 2020, Manitoba Hydro’s new Manitoba–Minnesota Transmission Project (MMTP) is a 213-kilometre, 500 kilovolt AC transmission line designed to deliver additional electricity down to the public utility’s southern neighbour, Minnesota Power, over the next 15 years. The completion of MMTP creates a new level of interconnectivity that will strengthen the overall reliability and grid stability of Manitoba’s electricity supply, allowing Manitoba Hydro to fulfill current export sales agreements and providing additional access to markets in the United States, as well as further import capacity if required during emergency situations. Manitoba Hydro segmented the construction of MMTP into two contracted sections, with Valard Construction working on Section Two from September 2019 to April 2020. This stretch of the project included 132 kilometres of transmission line installation, and incorporated such activities as access, clearing, tower assembly, tower erection, distribution crossings, the stringing of triple bundle conductor and including optical ground wire (OPGW). “Valard is Canada’s largest premier utility contractor and has the capacity and capability − together with local knowledge and experience − to successfully construct,” says Dave Torgerson, Chief Operating Officer at Valard Construction. “The
